Suppression of male courtship by a Drosophila pheromone receptor.

In male Drosophila, chemosensory cues control many aspects of social behavior. We found that males with a mutated Gustatory receptor 32a gene (Gr32a) show high courtship toward males and mated females, indicating that GR32a functions as a pheromone receptor for a male inhibitory pheromone. Notably, we discovered that tarsal Gr32a-expressing neurons were essential for courtship suppression and projected to the ventrolateral protocerebrum, implying direct communication of chemosensory neurons with a higher-order brain structure.